The Australian who helped Switzerland and Roger Federer win a Davis Cup

Among the various subplots entwined in Switzerland and Roger Federer's maiden Davis Cup title is the role played by a doubles coach from faraway Launceston. David Macpherson. That's him, third from the right in the top row, behind the trophy.

Centre of attention: Australian David Macpherson (centre), with members of the victorious Swiss Davis Cup team. Photo: AFP

Macpherson has been based in Florida for well over half his 47 years, having retired in 2002 after a career that took the diminutive left-hander to a peak of 293rd in the world in singles, but 11 in doubles, with 16 titles from 29 finals, and career prizemoney of around $2 million.

For a decade, however, he has coached the world's best doubles team, the Bryan brothers. It was through the Bryans that Macpherson ended up in a Swiss tracksuit as the architect of the pivotal doubles win so important to Switzerland's final success against France.

"It was a very good feeling of contributing to something special, is the best way to describe it," Macpherson told Fairfax Media from the US. "A Davis Cup for Roger, Roger and Stan [Wawrinka] coming together to play a great match and 27,000 people going bananas after every point - it was definitely a special, memorable thing to be a part of."

It all started with a conversation on the practice court at last month's Paris Masters, where the Bryans and Macpherson preceded Federer's session with his coach Severin Luthi, also the Swiss Davis Cup captain. Luthi told the specialist doubles trio he wanted to talk to them about the upcoming final in Lille. "We sort-of said 'Yeah, sure, anything for Roger'," recalls Macpherson. "We all love and respect Roger so much, so we said, 'Yeah, any time you want to sit down is fine'."

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That time came in London, at the World Tour finals. In the gym, together with the Bryans, Luthi had asked a few questions about doubles "and then Mike and Bob [Bryan] were the ones that said, 'If you really want to get after it, you should ask David to come to Lille'," Macpherson recalls.

"So Seve [Luthi] looked at me and said, 'Is that possible? would you come to Lille?' and I didn't know what to say. I just sort-of said 'Well, yeah, sure mate, let's make it happen'. I didn't want to say no to him, but I just wanted to help Roger, really. Nothing against anyone else; Mike, Bob and I just felt like he deserves one, he's been our greatest champion ever and it would be very cool and fitting if he ended up winning a Davis Cup. So it was like, 'if you value my help enough to ask me, then I've got to come'," Macpherson said.

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By the following Monday, when he had been due to return home across the Atlantic, Macpherson was on court with nominal Swiss doubles pair Michael Lammer and Marco Chiudinelli. Yet although Federer was unsure of even playing until shortly before Thursday's draw, the squad's doubles education, including meetings and video sessions, continued all the while.

Macpherson said there were no lingering issues between Federer and Wawrinka - who was angered by comments allegedly coming from Federer's box during their semi-final match in London. "They were fabulous. I know there was a little bit of a drama in London, and I was wondering heading into the situation how it was going to be. But they're just great mates, they've got a genuine affection for each other. The topic wasn't off the table - I remember somebody gave somebody a dig about the whole thing early on and there was a lot of laughter. Roger and Stan were just thick as thieves. They really buried it. There was not a whiff of tension."

By Friday night, with the tie locked at 1-1, and Federer declaring himself physically able to back up after a disappointing singles loss to Gael Monfils, the inevitable decision was made to play the team's two major singles winners, who combined for the 2008 Olympic doubles gold medal, on the Saturday. There was a late study session, run by Macpherson, and then the pair performed strongly with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 win over Richard Gasquet and Julien Benneteau. Federer returned to claim the deciding point against Gasquet the next day.

"I thought they played a great match. I was really happy. A lot goes into a doubles match, and I thought they played really well, they executed what we talked about, almost to a T," said Macpherson. "We had a very specific plan, right from where you serve the ball, how many times you poach, on what type of return, how much you play in formation and all the different things that go into the first part of the doubles point that is so critical."

Luthi, whom he admires and respects, came over to the bench to consult several times while, on-court, Federer assumed the role the Australian coach likens to a catcher in baseball, or a quarterback in the NFL. "Roger was captain of the team, he was leading, so to speak, so he was calling the play most of the time, and I think he called close to a perfect match. Afterwards, one of the things I remember most from the whole tie is Roger saying to me, 'I had no idea how extreme the tactics are in doubles'."

To the world, Federer acknowledged both the help Macpherson had provided, and the wisdom of Luthi's idea to recruit him. "We had a good, long conversation about doubles. Not just yesterday and today, but in previous days," said the 17-time grand-slam champion. "For me personally, I think we were perfectly prepared. Obviously you have to be able to execute it. I think Stan did that unbelievably well today. I tried to keep up. Severin kept us motivated and going. It was a cool last sort of 24 hours, I must say."

Not least for Macpherson, whose next trip is a return home to Tasmania to visit his parents, before it all starts again with the Bryans in Sydney and at Melbourne Park. He may not be Australia's highest-profile coach but, then again, doubles is not the main game. It was, though, on a recent Saturday to remember, for Federer, Wawrinka, and those who contributed a lot or even just a little to a happy tale that unfolded across a memorable weekend.